AJC > Sports > Falcons > Blog > Archives > 2007 > October > 30
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Shockley: What if???????
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
In speaking with injured second-year Falcons quarterback D.J. Shockley today, he said he couldn’t help but to occasionally think about being Atlanta’s starting quarterback this season with the instability at the position with Joey Harrington, Byron Leftwich and Chris Redman.
Shockley is out until next season after tearing his ACL in his left knee in a preseason game at Buffalo. He is projected to be healthy enough to play next season but there is no guarantee he’ll get another shot with Atlanta.
Had Shockley stayed healthy, the first thing he’d have to do would be to beat out Redman for the backup spot, which he failed to do in preseason, although he was threatening prior to getting hurt. Had he been healthy and been the backup, it would have been interesting to see if coach Bobby Petrino would have tabbed him after pulling Harrington.
To boot, would the Falcons have even signed Leftwich if Shockley were on board?
The two things Shockley offers, besides mobility at the position, is leadership and youth. Harrington, Leftwich and Redman will not be the long-term answer for the Falcons. There’s no saying that Shockley would be either. However, in this scenario, Shockley could be a player who could be developed.
